
Class _^ 






Book. 



GopghtN". 



COPYRIGHT DEPOSrr 



THE TOILING 
OF FELIX 




it5^r^r.C 



THE TOILING 
OF FELIX 

BY 
HENRY VAN DYKE 



NEW YORK 

CHARLES SCRIBNER'S SONS 

1913 



Copyright 1900. 1 91 3 by Charles Scribner's Sons 
Illustrated Edition Published October, 1913 






©CI.A357679 



I 






IN the rubbish heaps of the ancient city 
of Oxyrhynchus, near the River Nile, a 
party of Ejiglish explorers, in the winter of 
1 897, discovered a fragment of a papyrus 
book, written in the second or third cen- 
tury, and hitherto unknown. This single 
leaf contained parts of seven short sen- 
tences of Christ, each introduced by the 
words, "Jesus says." It is to the fifth 
of these Sayings of Jesus that the follow- 
ing poem refers. 



HEAR a word that Jesus spake 
Eighteen hundred years ago, 
Where the crimson HHes blow 
Round the blue Tiberian lake: 
There the bread of life He brake. 
Through the fields of harvest walking 
With His lowly comrades, talking 
Of the secret thoughts that feed 
Weary souls in time of need. 
Art thou hungry? Come and take; 
Hear the word that Jesus spake! 
*Tis the sacrament of labour, bread and 

wine divinely blest; 
Friendship's food and sweet refreshment, 
strength and courage, joy and rest. 



BUT this word tlie Master said 
Long ago and far away, 
Silent and forgotten lay 
Buried with the silent dead, 
Where the sands of Egypt spread 
Sea-Hke, tawny billows heaping 
Over ancient cities sleeping. 
While the River Nile between 
Rolled its summer flood of green 
Rolled its autumn flood of red: 
There the word the Master said, 
Written on a frail papyrus, wrinkled, 

scorched by fire, and torn. 
Hidden in God's hand was waiting 
for its resurrection morn. 



Now at last the buried word 
By the delving spade is found, 
Sleeping in the quiet ground. 
Now the call of life is heard: 
Rise again, and like a bird. 
Fly abroad on wings of gladness 
Through the darkness and the 

sadness. 
Of the toiling age, and sing 
Sweeter than the voice of Spring, 
Till the hearts of men are stirred 
By the music of the word, — 
Gospel for the heavy-laden, answer to 

the labourer's cry: 
* 'Raise the stone, and thou shaltfind me; 
cleave the wood and there am I. " 



i 



I 



BROTHER-MEN who look for Jesus, 
long to see Him close and clear, 
Hearken to the tale of Felix, how he 
found the Master near. 

Born in Egypt, 'neath the shadow of the 

crumbling gods of night, 
He forsook the ancient darkness, turned 

his young heart toward the Light. 



11 



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SEEKING CHRIST, in vain he 
waited for the vision of the Lord; 
Vainly pondered many volumes v^here 
the creeds of men were stored; 

Vainly shut himself in silence, keeping 

vigil night and day; 
Vainly haunted shrines and churches 

where the Christians came to pray. 



12 



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ONE BY ONE he dropped the 
duties of the common Hfe of care, 
Broke the human ties that bound him, 
laid his spirit waste and bare. 

Hoping that the Lord would enter that 

deserted dwelling-place, 
And reward the loss of all things with 

the vision of His face. 



13 



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PEEKING CHRIST, in vain he 
A^ Waited for the vision of the Lord; 
Vainly pondered many volumes where 
the creeds of men were stored; 




STILL THE BLESSED vision tar- 
ried; still the light was unrevealed; 
Still the Master, dim and distant, kept 
His countenance concealed. 

Fainter grew the hope of finding, wearier 

grew the fruitless quest; 
Prayer and penitence and fasting gave 

no comfort, brought no rest. 



17 



EIGERING in the darkened temple, 
ere the lamp of faith went out, 
Felix knelt before the altar, lonely, sad, 
and full of doubt. 

"Hear me, O thou mighty Master," 
from the altar-step he cried, 

"Let my one desire be granted, let my 
hope be satisfied! 



18 






ONLY ONCE I long to see Thee, 
in the fulness of Thy grace: 
Break the clouds that now enfold Thee 
with the sunrise of Thy face! 

"All that men desire and treasure have 

I counted loss for Thee; 
Every hope have I forsaken, save this 

one, my Lord to see. 



19 



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"T OOSED the sacred bands of frlend- 

•L-i ship, sohtary stands my heart; 
Thou shall be my sole companion when 
I see Thee as Thou art. 

*'From Thy distant throne in glory, flash 

upon my inward sight, 
Fill the midnight of my spirit with the 

splendour of Thy light. 



20 



••ALL THINE other gifts and bles- 
i *■ sings, common mercies, I disown; 
Separated from my brothers, I would see 
Thy face alone. 

"I have watched and I have waited as 
one watcheth for the morn: 

Still the veil is never lifted, still Thou 
leavest me forlorn. 



21 



?^§^ 



row I SEEK THEE in the 
desert, where the holy hermits 
dwell; 
There, beside the saint Serapion, I will 
find a lonely cell. 

"There at last Thou wilt be gracious; 

there Thy presence, long-concealed. 
In the solitude and silence to my heart 

shall stand revealed. 



22 



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^HOU WILT COME, at dawn 
or twilight, o'er the rolling waves 
of sand; 
I shall see Thee close beside me, I shall 

touch Thy pierced hand. 

"Lo, Thy pilgrim kneels before Thee; 

bless my journey with a word; 
Tell me now that if I follow I shall find 

Thee, O my Lord!" 

23 



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FELIX LISTENED: through the 
darkness, like a murmur of the wind. 
Came a gentle sound of stillness: "Never 
faint, and thou shalt find." 

Long and toilsome was his journey 
through the heavy land of heat, 

Egypt's blazing sun above him, blistering 
sand beneath his feet. 



24 



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PATIENTLY he plodded onward, 
from the pathway never erred, 
Till he reached the river-fastness called 
the Mountain of the Bird. 

There the tribes of air assemble, once a 

year, their noisy flock. 
Then, departing, leave their sentinel 

perched upon the highest rock. 



25 



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'AR AWAY, on joyful pinions, 
A over land and sea they fly; 
But the watcher on the summit lonely 
stands against the sky. 

There the eremite Serapion in a cave 

had made his bed; 
There the faithful bands of pilgrims sought 

his blessing, brought him bread. 



26 



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jS^ IVl seclusion, hidden in the rocky 
LH cleft, 

NO Dwelt the hermit, fasting, praying; once 
CaI a year the cave he left. 


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r^M out of all the band, 
ffctj Won a special sign of favour from the 
f/^i holy hermit's hand. 


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UNDERNEATH the narrow win- 
dow, at the doorway closely sealed. 
While the afterglow of sunset deepened 
round him, Felix kneeled. 

"Man of God, of men most holy, thou 
whose gifts cannot be priced! 

Grant me thy most precious guerdon; 
tell me how to find the Christ." 



28 



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^i 



BREATHLESS, Felix bowed and 
listened, but no answering voice he 
heard ; 
Darkness folded, dumb and deathlike, 
round the Mountain of the Bird. 

Then he said, "The saint is silent; he 
would teach my soul to wait: 

I will tarry here in patience, like a beggar 
at his gate. 

29 



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NEAR THE DWELLING of the 
hermit FeHx found a rude abode 
In a shallow tomb deserted, close beside 
the pilgrim-road. 

So the faithful pilgrims saw him waiting 
there without complaint, — 

Soon they learned to call him holy, fed 
him as they fed the saint. 



30 



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DAY BY DAY he watched the 
sunrise flood the distant plain with 
gold, 
While the River Nile beneath him, 
silvery coiling, seaward rolled. 

Night by night he saw the planets range 
their glittering court on high. 

Saw the moon, with queenly motion, 
mount her throne and rule the sky. 

31 



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MORN ADVANCED and mid- 
night fled, in visionairy pomp 
attired; 
Never morn and never midnight brought 
the vision long-desired. 

Now^ at last the day is dawning when 

Serapion makes his gift; 
Felix kneels before the threshold, hardly 

dares his eyes to lift. 

32 



[OW the cavern door uncloses, now 
le saint above him stands. 
Blesses him without a word, and leaves 
a token in his hands. 

*Tis the guerdon of thy waiting! Look, 
thou happy pilgrim, look! 

Nothing but a tattered fragment of an 
old papyrus book. 



33 



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MORN ADVANCED and mid- 
night fled, in visionary pomp 
attired; 
Never morn and never midnight brought 
the vision long-desired. 




READ! perchance the clue to guide 
thee hidden in the words may lie : 
"Raise thestone, and thou shall find me; 
clea\>e the wood, and there am I." 

Can it be the mighty Master spake such 

simple words as these? 
Can it be that men must seek Him at 

their toil 'mid rocks and trees? 



'»^ 



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DISAPPOINTED, heavy-hearted, 
from the Mountain of the Bird 
Felix mournfully descended, questioning 
the Master's word. 

Not for him a sacred dwelling, far above 

the haunts of men: 
He must turn his footsteps backward to 

the common life again. 



38 



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FROM A QUARRY near the river, 
hollowed out below the hills. 
Rose the clattering voice of labour, 
clanking hammers, clinking drills. 

Dust, and noise, and hot confusion made 

a Babel of the spot: 
There, among the lowliest workers, Felix 

sought and found his lot. 



39 



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Now he swung the ponderous mallet, 
smote the iron in the rock — 
Muscles quivering, tingling, throbbing — 
blow on blow and shock on shock; 

Now he drove the willow wedges, wet 
them till they swelled and split. 

With their silent strength, the fragment, 
sent it thundering down the pit. 



40 



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Now the groaning tackle raised it; 
now the rollers made it slide; 
Harnessed men, like beasts of burden, 
drew it to the river-side. 

Now the palm-trees must be riven, mas- 
sive timbers hewn and dressed; 

Rafts to bear the stones in safety on the 
rushing river's breast. 



41 



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AXE AND AUGER, saw and 
XX chisel, wrought the will of man in 

wood: 
*Mid the many-handed labour Felix 
toiled, and found it good. 

Every day the blood ran fleeter through 
his limbs and round his heart; 

Every night he slept the sweeter, know- 
ing he had done his part. 

42 



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DREAMS of solitary saintship faded 
from him; but, instead, 
Came a sense of daily comfort in the toil 
for daily bread. 



Far 


away, across 


the river, gleamed the | 




white walls 


of the town 




Whither all the 


stones and timbers 


day 




by day were drifted down. 








43 





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DREAMS of solitary saintship 
faded from him; hut, instead. 
Came a sense of daily comfort in the 
toil for daily bread. 







THERE THE WORKMAN saw 
his labour taking form and bearing 
fruit, 
Like a tree with splendid branches 
rising from a humble root. 

Looking at the distant city, temples, 
houses, domes, and towers, 

Felix cried in exultation: "All the 
mighty work is ours. 

47 



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"PVERY MASON in the quarry, 

•i— -* every builder on the shore, 
Every chopper in the palm-grove, every 
raftsman at the oar, 

"Hewing wood and drawing water, 
splitting stones and cleaving sod. 

All the dusty ranks of labour, in the 
regiment of God, 



48 



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MARCH 
His tri 



[ARCH TOGETHER toward 
riumph, do the task His 
hands prepare: 
Honest toil is holy service; faithful work 
is praise and prayer." 

While he bore the heat and burden 
Felix felt the sense of rest 

Flowing softly like a fountain, deep 
within his weary breast; 

49 




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FELT the brotherhood of labour, 
rising round him like a tide, 
Overflow his heart and join him to the 
workers at his side. 

Oft he cheered them with his singing at 
the breaking of the light. 

Told them tales of Christ at noonday, 
taught them words of prayer atnight. 



so 



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ONCE he bent above a comrade 
fainting in the mid-day heat. 
Sheltered him with woven palm-leaves, 
gave him water, cool and sweet. 

Then it seemed, for one swift moment, 
secret radiance filled the place; 

Underneath the green palm-branches 
flashed a look of Jesus* face. 



51 



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ONCE AGAIN, a raftsman, slip- 
ping, plunged beneath the stream 
and sank; 
Swiftly Felix leaped to rescue, caught 
him, drew him toward the bank — 

Battling with the cruel river, using all 

his strength to save — 
Did he dream? or was there One beside 

him walking on the wave? 

52 



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"TTEAR ME. O Thou hidden 

A 1 Master! Thou hast sent a word 
to me; 
It is written— Thy commandment— I have 
kept it faithfully. 

"Thou hast bid me leave the visions of 

the solitary life. 
Bear my part in human labour, take my 

share in human strife. 



54 



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1HAVE done Thy bidding Master; 
raised the rock and felled the tree. 
Swung the axe and plied the hammer, 
working every day for Thee. 

"Once it seemed I saw Thy presence 
through the bending palm-leaves 
gleam; 

Once upon the flowing water— Nay, I 
know not, 'twas a dream! 




55 



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-rvA 



'HIS I KNOW: Thou hast been 
near me: more than this I dare not 



ask 



Though I see Thee not, I love Thee. 
Let me do Thy humblest task!" 

Through the dimness of the temple slowly 

dawned a mystic light; 
There the Master stood in glory, 

manifest to mortal sight: 

56 






iflhkSk 



HANDS that bore the mark of 
labour, brow that bore the print of 
care; 
Hands of power, divinely tender; brow 
of light, divinely fair. 

I "Hearken, good and faithful servant, 
true disciple, loyal friend! 
Thou hast followed me and found me; 
I will keep thee to the end. 

57 



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WELL I KNOW thy toil and 
trouble; often weary, fainting, 
worn, 
I have lived the life of labour, heavy 
burdens I have borne. 

"Never m a prince's palace have I slept 

on golden bed. 
Never in a hermit's cavern have I eaten 

unearned bread. 



58 



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► ORN WITHIN a lowly stable, 
where the cattle round me stood. 
Trained a carpenter in Nazareth, I have 
toiled, and found it good. 

"They who tread the path of labour 
follow where my feet have trod; 

They who work without complaining 
do the holy will of God. 



59 



(P^mi.- 



WHERE the many toil together, 
there am I among my own; 
Where the tired workman sleepeth, 
there am I with him alone. 

"I, the peace that passeth knowledge, 
dwell amid the daily strife; 

I, the bread of heaven, am broken in 
the sacrament of life. 



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EVERY TASK, however simple, 
sets the soul that does it free; 
Every deed of love and mercy, done to 
man, is done to me. 

"Thou hast learned the open secret; 

thou hast come to me for rest; 
With thy burden, in thy labour, thou 

art Felix, doubly blest. 



61 



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"jVTEVERMORE thou needest seek ^1 

1 ^ me; I am with thee everywhere; f i 

Raise the stone, and thou shaltfind me; \\ 
cleave the wood, and I am there. '* 




■Jf^ii^ 



^i 



THE LEGEND of Felix Is ended, 
the toiling of Felix is done; 
The Master has paid him his wages, 
the goal of his journey is won; 

He rests, but he never is idle; a thou- 
sand years pass like a day. 

In the glad surprise of the Paradise 
where work is sweeter than play. 



65 



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YET OFTEN the King of that 
country comes out from his tireless 
host. 
And walks in this world of the weary 
as if He loved it the most; 

For here in the dusty confusion, with 
eyes that are heavy and dim, 

He meets again the labouring men who 
are looking and longing for Him 

66 



HE CANCELS the curse of Eden, 
and brings them a blessing instead: 
Blessed are they that labour, for Jesus 
partakes of their bread. 

He puts His hand to their burdens. 
He enters their homes at night: 

Who does his best shall have as a guest 
the Master of life and light. 



67 



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AND COURAGE will come with 
*■ ^ His presence, and patience return 

at His touch. 
And manifold sins be forgiven to those 
who love Him much; 

The cries of envy and anger will change 

to the songs of cheer. 
The toiling age will forget its rage when 

the Prince of Peace draws near. 

68 



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THIS is the gospel of labour, ring it, 
ye bells of the kirk! 
The Lord of Love came down from 
above, to live with the men who 
work. 

This is the rose that He planted, here 

in the thorn-curst soil: 
Heaven is blest with perfect rest, but 

the blessing of Elarth is toil. 

(9 



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NOV 6 1913 



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604 



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